What is Washboard Express?

Washboard Express is a way for me to express my own opinions, to be a provocative gadfly, by writing a "letter a day" to the President. I may miss a day here and there, because sometimes my family with be my first priority, but my goal is to write a total of 365 letters, representing one full year. To say I have opinions about most things would be to understate the obvious. Those of you that know me, know this is true, those who don't know me, will learn that it's true. The Washboard is a reference to going back to basics and "keeping it clean," so if you would like me to post your comments or opinions on this blog, I only ask that you be respectful. So go ahead, express yourself, and I look forward to an exchange of ideas and opinions.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Letter #161... Dear Mr. President...It wasn't even close... it was a Landslide!

Dear Mr. President,

This morning while I was in the shower I couldn’t help but
feel it was one of the best showers I’ve ever felt… it felt like I was washing
off four years of racism, bigotry, homophobia, birtherism, and hate… washing
away the divisiveness, ugliness, and anger that has raged through our country
for the last two years.

The People have spoken... again.

As we head into this season of Thanksgiving, I’m extremely
grateful to the over 60 million people that voted to re-elect you as our 44th
President. I’m grateful that the big money of Citizens United, the Koch Bros., the
Adelson’s, the Trump’s and many like them, learned that the American people
cannot be bought and the White House is not for sale. I’m grateful that the
haters like Trump, Rove, Limbaugh, and Fox viewers learned that over 60 million
people are not buying their relentless messages of lies, cynicism and divisiveness.
I’m grateful that the 30 states that tried to impose voter ID laws and that
they too were rebuffed by the voters. I’m particularly grateful to all those
people who stood in long lines just to vote and send a clear message that those
un-American tactics will not be tolerated, and are not acceptable in this
country.

People say that this election isn’t a mandate, but it is…
it’s a mandate for women’s rights, it’s a mandate against Citizens United, it’s
a mandate for everyone paying their fair share in taxes, and that the very rich
should pay a little more. It’s a mandate that discrimination will no longer be
tolerated, and that includes a persons right to love and marry whom they
choose. The State of Wisconsin proved this with Tammy Baldwin being the first female Senator and
the first openly gay candidate ever elected.

I’m grateful that you opened the door and emboldened so many
women by setting an example and appointing two women to the Supreme Court, one
of them being the first Latino ever appointed. I’m grateful that you will make
the next two or three appointments to the Supreme Court, ensuring the
protection of women’s rights and the ACA. I’m grateful that you are using
drones to help fight al qaeda, saving the lives of our men and women. I know it
is not a popular position, and that innocent lives are lost, many of them women
and children, and I know you do not make these decisions lightly, but that is
what a great leader and the Commander and Chief is supposed to do... make the
tough decisions that protect American lives.

My granddaughter came home from school yesterday visibly
upset, upset because only 11 people in her 4th grade class voted for
you, and she thought that you’d lose the election. Her mom assured her that
they lived in a neighborhood that was mostly Republican and that the kids would
vote like their parents, but that because we live in California, she had
nothing to worry about… you would win. I wish I could have gone to school with
her today, I wish I could see the pride on her face and the faces of the other
kids that voted for you, even though the majority of their friends didn’t. I
hope the teacher explained what a meaningful election this truly is.

In closing, I want to thank you for always taking the high
road, never stooping to the level of those detractors that have tried so hard
to delegitimize your presidency. You have truly been an inspiration to many of
us who have not always been on the same high road with you, myself included. To
push back and respond to the ugliness and rancor was easy enough to do, but not
necessarily the right thing to do, because it just added fuel to the fire… you
never did that. This country is so fortunate to have you remain as our
President, you lift us all, you lift the poor, the sick, the weak, the
disenfranchised… you in fact, lift the whole world by your example.

Congratulations Mr. President, we’re fired up and ready to
go… ready to go forward and raise this country back to its former greatness… we
can, and will, do it together.

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About Me

Having just retired after 15 years in magazine publishing, I thought I would venture into the wide world of Blogging. In my 66 years I've gained some insight about a few things. Most are silly observations about life in general. Some are serious, involving politics, and what I perceive to be right and wrong. My goal is to be somewhat of a gadfly, so if I goad you one way or the other, I've accomplished my goal.